My journey to a healthier lifestyle -- and a better me -- began in March 2009. My goal is to replace a lifetime of REALLY bad habits with a nutrition and fitness regimen I can stick to for the rest of my life.

FIVE VOTES OF CONFIDENCE Today is a new day. Hence:

1) I refuse to be shackled by yesterday's failures. 2) What I don't know I will no longer allow to intimidate me. I will instead view it as an opportunity. 3) I will not ...

My journey to a healthier lifestyle -- and a better me -- began in March 2009. My goal is to replace a lifetime of REALLY bad habits with a nutrition and fitness regimen I can stick to for the rest of my life.

FIVE VOTES OF CONFIDENCE Today is a new day. Hence:

1) I refuse to be shackled by yesterday's failures. 2) What I don't know I will no longer allow to intimidate me. I will instead view it as an opportunity. 3) I will not allow others to define my mood, my method, my image, or my mission. 4) I will pursue a mission greater than myself by making at least one person happy that he or she saw me. 5) I will not tolerate self-pity, gossip, or negativism - from myself or from others.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson